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Study shows: If you don't drink enough, you risk a stroke and premature death

2023-01-10T13:37:18.035Z


American researchers found that there is a connection between the amount you drink and the development of stroke, heart failure and dementia.


American researchers found that there is a connection between the amount you drink and the development of stroke, heart failure and dementia.

Are you drinking too little?

Then you should start drinking water, tea or fruit spritzers more often.

These are considered healthy because they contain little to no sugar.

Drinking enough is so important because it stimulates the metabolism, increases concentration and prevents headaches.

According to the

Barmer health insurance company

, physical fitness is also increased if we drink a lot.

1.5 liters or more?

The individually optimal amount to drink varies depending on physical activity and body weight.

How much to drink per day – calculate perfect hydration

Kilograms of body weight x 35 milliliters of liquid – you can use this formula to determine the optimal dose of liquid per day for you.

You can find out more about this here.

American researchers also found out that drinking too little can even shorten life.

The reason for this: The risk of life-threatening events such as heart failure and stroke increases and chronic diseases such as vascular diseases are also triggered by insufficient fluid intake, according to the researchers.

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You should make sure that you drink enough water, especially during sporting activities.

© Imago

Don't miss anything: You can find everything to do with health and well-being in the regular health newsletter from our partner Merkur.de

Not drinking enough increases the risk of dementia and sleep attacks

The scientists working with Natalia I. Dmitrieva from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute in Maryland, USA based their study on the health data of 11,255 adults.

The observation period was 25 years.

Dmitrieva's team was particularly interested in the serum sodium level of the study participants, which can be measured in the blood.

An elevated value can be attributed to low fluid intake.

The sodium levels in the blood were increased in those subjects who had been drinking too little over the long term.

The scientists were also able to demonstrate an increased risk of premature death from events such as a stroke in this group.

They published their conclusion in the medical journal

eBioMedicine

: "Our analysis (has) shown that serum sodium is able to predict accelerated biological aging and an increased risk of future chronic disease development, well before the age at which chronic diseases occur at high rates in the general population”.

According to the researchers, this includes heart failure, dementia, chronic lung diseases, stroke, diabetes, peripheral vascular diseases and atrial fibrillation.

Sustainably reduce stress – with proven relaxation techniques

Meditation is a technique that helps you find yourself in the moment instead of getting lost in your thoughts.

As the Techniker Krankenkasse further informs, in the course of mediation you will learn to let thoughts come and go without holding onto or evaluating them.

The goal: gain distance from everyday stress.

Health insurance companies, yoga studios and many fitness studios offer courses.

You can also use apps to try out whether meditation is something for you.

© Marcos Castillo/Imago

Yoga also strengthens and stretches the deep muscle groups.

But the Far Eastern teachings, which include many physical as well as mental exercises, can do more.

Because the relaxation exercises in yoga slow down the breathing, which has a calming effect on the entire organism.

If you want to try it out, you are confronted with a wealth of offers.

Yoga and fitness studios, but also health insurance companies and adult education centers offer courses.

© svyatoslav lipinskiy/Imago

Many people swear by progressive muscle relaxation when they need to calm down.

The principle behind it: Targeted tensing and relaxing of the muscles reduces nerve activity and mental tension.

As the AOK further informs, you can also carry out the exercises independently after prior instruction from a suitably trained therapist.

© Ivan Gener/Imago

Autogenic training is a relaxation technique that aims to help you find peace through mental concentration.

Unlike in progressive muscle relaxation, muscles are not consciously tensed and relaxed here.

As the neurologists and psychiatrists continue to inform on the net, it is much more a kind of self-hypnosis that takes place during autogenic training.

With the help of mantra-like exercise formulas (e.g. "The right arm is very heavy" or "The right arm is very warm"), the aim is to bring the entire organism to rest.

You can find courses at your health insurance company and at the adult education center, among others.

© Olga Pankova/Imago

Woman takes a deep breath in the fresh air.Breathing techniques help reduce severe stress.

When you are tense, your breathing usually flattens out and the air is not inhaled further than into your chest.

Calm, regular abdominal breathing, however, leads to muscles relaxing and the body being better supplied with blood.

It can also lower blood pressure.

And this is what healthy and deep abdominal breathing looks like according to the 4/7/11 rule: Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds and hold it for 11 minutes.

© Imago

Cheerful young woman wrapped in a blanket sitting with a cup of hot chocolate on the terrace of a bungalowAccording to Techniker Krankenkasse, mindfulness has been shown in many studies to be effective in reducing stress.

In recognized courses on "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction" techniques are learned that help to be in the here and now instead of in the past or in the future - not only physically but also mentally.

An important aspect: Being mindful means banishing any judgment from your thoughts.

The moment, the breathing, the sounds outside are only perceived, you don't think about anything.

© Aleksei Isachenko/Imago

Woman wanders in the home gardenMany people intuitively do the right thing when they are feeling stressed.

Many people find sport to be a very good valve for releasing pressure.

According to the Techniker Krankenkasse, sport is not one of the typical relaxation techniques, but rather a so-called passive method.

© Imago

Woman lying in the bathtubThe so-called passive methods do not only include sport.

A relaxing break in the bath, a walk or time with a good book can also reduce the stress level enormously by creating feelings of satisfaction, according to Techniker Krankenkasse.

© Imago

Too high sodium serum value as a warning

According to the scientists, a sodium value in the blood that is in the upper range of the normal range (135-146 mmol/l) is problematic.

"Our analysis also identified a threshold of 142 mmol/L that can be used to identify at-risk individuals who could benefit from more thorough clinical investigation," the researchers conclude.

The problem with the study: no causal effect can be proven.

This means that it is not entirely clear whether other factors besides the sodium serum value are also responsible for the study results.

More information on the study

"Middle-age high normal serum sodium as a risk factor for accelerated biological aging, chronic diseases, and premature mortality"

Release Date

: January 2, 2023

Published

in the journal eBioMedicine (part of The Lancet journal)

Scope

: 11,255 study participants

Study authors

: US research team led by Natalia I. Dmitrieva from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute


This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.

List of rubrics: © Imago

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-01-10

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